Chapter 11 - Setting the Plan in Motion

"It was a smart move to give each court lady a bracelet." Seungmin comments out of nowhere during one of their studying sessions, taking Aristia by surprise. However, she shows no change in expression, her lips in a straight line and her eyes focusing on the book Seungmin recommended she read in order to get more acquainted with the customs of the Empire.

"Thank you." Is all she says.

"But a birdie told me that you've also commissioned some other interesting items."

This finally takes her eyes out of the book, her attention shifting completely.

"What?" She shows a smile that could be perceived as naïve, although it's anything but.

"You tell me."

"Must I?" She puts her pen down, leaning back into her chair.

"You can't trust the goldsmith, Your Highness. He told His Majesty about the keys the moment you sent that order."

Aristia continues to smile, much to Seungmin's surprise.

"Your silence tells me something that I'm not inclined to believe... Did you know he'd do that?"

"Of course I knew, Seungmin." She chuckles brightly. "Do you think I'm so naïve as to put my trust in someone who's worked for the Imperial Family for his entire life?"

"What do they unlock?"

"Nothing." Aristia shrugs. "They are just some small tokens for my friends. Mere necklaces to match my own."

This was far from the truth, but Seungmin once again had no business knowing the Empress' secrets, much more so when they could be considered high treason.

The ladies that picked up those keys had no way of knowing about it either, foolish girls. They got blinded by Aristia's promises and didn't realise what their end on the deal would entail. The price they'd pay if her husband would ever find out about her plan would be way too grave, so she hopes it wouldn't come to that before she's had enough time to put it in motion.

Aristia figured out how little she trusts Chris as she cooked up this plan: a way of stopping the war from breaking out before it even begins, or, if it's too late, a way of winning for sure. She only hopes she's right and that things would go smoothly, but only time would tell.

Noticing Seungmin's burning gaze in her forehead, she realises that Seungmin might understand her a bit more than she thought he could. He is, however, one of Chan's right-hand men, and trusting him might be too dangerous.

She bites her tongue back and turns her eyes once more at the large book in front of her, signalling that the conversation is over.

"Your Majesty, I deeply apologise for interrupting your studying session." Changbin bows apologetically after abruptly entering her study.

"Is anything wrong?" Aristia smiles softly.

"His Highness has requested your presence for dinner."

"Has he?" Aristia raises a curious brow.

Chris has been busy this past week, and they haven't spent any time together since the greenhouse lunch with the ladies when he surprised her with a visit.

"Yes. Alice is waiting for you to prepare you for dinner." Changbin bows again.

"Then, this is it for today, I'm afraid." She looks at Seungmin who nods briefly.

"Make sure to finish reading that by tomorrow evening." He points to the book, but before Aristia has the chance to reply, Changbin intervenes.

"Seungmin, watch your manners. You're in the presence of The Moon of the Empire, our Empress." He scolds immediately, and Seungmin throws him a look that could only express Are you serious?!

Still, he obliges and bows down respectfully.

"My apologies, Your Highness. It seems I have been out of line."

Aristia nods and asks Changbin to pick up the book, and then goes to her room to get changed.

~

Alice insists once more to pamper Aristia up with everything she's got, and the Empress finds it quite amusing how a mere 14-year-old girl is ordering around Mari and Juliana. She dislikes wearing intricate clothing or heavy jewellery, but "It's the custom!" and "You're the Empress!", so she eventually gives in and lets Alice have her way with her clothes and hair.

An hour and a half later, she's ready to go have dinner with her husband.

The moment she steps through the door, she notices that all the plates have already been brought, and Chris makes everyone get out to give them privacy.

"Good evening, husband." She smiles brightly, watching his grave eyes that quickly soften up at the sight of her.

He stands up and grabs her hand, kissing her knuckles softly.

"My dearest wife." He helps her sit down, then joins her at the table once more.

Aristia certainly didn't expect this warm welcome, and her heart skips a beat.

She was expecting Chris to ask her about why she hadn't worn the necklace, or to inquire about the small keys she had crafted, just as Seungmin did, but the Emperor did none of that.

Instead, he asked her about her studies, listened closely to her words and smiled ever so often while gently touching her hand on the table.

The dinner went by pleasantly.

"You are a breath of fresh air; did you know that?" Chris says all of a sudden, while Aristia takes a bite of one of the cupcakes on the table.

"How so?" She asks, and her heart skips a beat again, then does rounds in her chest that suddenly feels too tight to contain the growing feelings inside.

"You just are. By the way, have I told you that you were right about the contaminated water? Hyunjin and his team checked it out, and they've found one of the sources. Apparently, some of the countrymen were throwing out animal waste into a river, polluting the water in the process."

"Really?" Aristia gasps. "Wow, I'm glad they've identified it!"

"I'm afraid it's simply one of the many other polluted waters throughout the Empire..."

"They'll identify the others in no time, don't worry." She smiles assuringly.

"Aristia, I missed you." Chris says all of a sudden, happy to notice the excitement in his wife's gaze.

"You work too much." She pouts, not wanting to confess how much she's missed him too.

She doesn't trust him, but her feelings for him grow each time they spend time apart, and then grow some more when they meet.

"I have to." He shrugs, grabbing his wine glass and giving it a swirl, then bringing it to his lips and taking a big gulp. "With the upcoming war, it's quite a stressful time, you know?"

"Maybe we shouldn't have killed-" Aristia starts in a quiet voice, so quiet, it almost sounds like a whisper.

"He had it coming." Chris cuts her off hastily. "How dare he harm you in your own home? I get angry just thinking about it."

"He's done it my whole life. It wasn't that surprising, honestly." She replies dejected, and he gets the same sinking feeling in his stomach as when he's seen her wounds while Mari took her out of the bloodied bath water.

He feels sick for not paying more attention, for not even bothering to spend any time with her whatsoever before her dear father paid them a visit. If only he wouldn't have shut her out, if only... If only he would've done better, nothing would've happened to her.

Does she consider this palace home, he wonders? Or is she still feeling suffocated by the castle's walls?

And what about him? Sure, they've spent a night together, but are her feelings genuine?

As he watches her eyes intensely, he fails to see his own reflection. Instead, he sees that beautiful spark that made him fall in love with her, for he's now certain he's fallen, deep and hard.

"What is it?" She asks with a soft smile on her lips.

"Your eyes are very beautiful." He smiles back sincerely and wishes he could tell her more, but it feels too early for the frightening I love you, although judging by the way his heart beats in his chest, even I love you would fall short.

"Is that so?" She chuckles. "Do you like their colour?"

"You could say that." He nods, although his words are partly insincere. It's not the colour of her eyes that drive him crazy.

It's not the colour of her eyes that make him lean over the table and grab her chin, then capture her lips in a fevered kiss, taking her by surprise and making her gasp. It's that powerful burning in them that almost knocks him out of his chair every time she's determined to do something, and for quite some time, that sparkle hasn't gone away from her gaze.

He wonders what she's plotting, but he doesn't want to come across as distrusting, so he doesn't ask anything. Instead, he sits back in his chair as if nothing happened, as if he hasn't just kissed her, making two deep lines form in-between Aristia's brows.

"What was-"

"Aristia." Chris calls her name to stop her from asking him about it. He doesn't know what he would answer. He might end up confessing otherwise.

"Yes?"

"May I do that again?"

"... Yes."

This time, Chris stands up properly and helps her out of her chair by handing her his right hand, just as the customs say he should.

She accepts his help, which brings a smile to his lips. It's the first time she's accepted his help, quite the contrast to when her back was cut open and she needed to be bandaged.

They look into each other's eyes for a few short moments, before Chris leans in and presses his lips on hers, softly this time. His hands move to her waist, keeping a steady hold, and Aristia reciprocates, placing her arms around his neck and pulling him closer.

Her back arches under his palms and she roses on her tiptoes as their kiss deepens. She missed his touch badly, and Chris missed hers even more.

Feelings start blooming in Aristia's chest each time the Emperor's tongue is touching hers, and a new emotion grows in her heart. She wants him all for herself, she needs him more than anything in this very moment, and no matter how close he is to her, he isn't close enough.

"Please take this off." She speaks between hurried breaths, pointing to his top, and he's never undressed quicker before.

She also makes haste and takes off her dress, and their bodies get tangled on top of his large mattress, Chris' body on top of hers, in between her legs.

Aristia pants for air when he breaks their kiss to position his member against her entrance, and as he pushes in, this time with no patience or hesitation, she lets out a loud moan, quickly muffled by his mouth back on hers.

They make love passionately, and it feels so intense, Aristia is quick to let go and roll her head back as Chris bottoms out into her numerous times in quick succession.

He releases himself inside of her soon after and plops down next to her on the messy bed, hugging her tightly and whispering sweet words in her ear that make her blush.

She wishes she could just focus on these happy moments and simply forget the first year he hasn't paid her any mind, but she can't.

As he falls asleep next to her, completely defenceless, she simply can't let go of the pain in her heart. She can't trust him. She can't.

She wishes she could, but her growing feelings for him don't overcome the anxiety that something might go wrong, that he could change his mind any moment and go back to treating her coldly.

She is afraid that if she were to trust him at all, to tell him about what she's been thinking about – how to stop the war –, he would simply dismiss her, and she will once again feel small, powerless, a fake.

Thus, it's impossible to fall asleep, so her mind stays sharp, and she thinks over the plan she's made in her head about a million times. She pieced together all the puzzle pieces, so now, all that's left to do is execute it.

~

"Changbin, will you please go to Felix and let him know that I'd like us to have tea together this afternoon?" Aristia smiles sweetly as Changbin and her are strolling through the gardens.

"Oh, I thought you didn't want to meet him today." The guard replies, completely charmed by her.

He's grown to admire his Empress ever since he started serving her and being such a close attendant, which is a common effect between all the other people Aristia's worked with so far. Seungmin feels the same way, noticing how sharp her mind is, and Chris is in even deeper.

They all admire her; if only she'd see it as well.

"Well, I've changed my mind." She shrugs and chuckles.

"But, still... I wouldn't like to leave you alone. What if something were to happen?" He frowns, shaking his head.

"What could possibly happen? We are inside the castle's walls." Aristia dismisses him entirely. "I'd like to enjoy the warm air a bit more, so I'd really appreciate it if you could send word to Prince Felix and let me bask in the sun."

"Well... do you promise you'll stay put, though? I truly don't want you to be in any danger..." He is still hesitant, but Aristia immediately calms him down and convinces him to leave her.

"Of course, Changbin. I'll stay here, don't worry."

She is glad that Changbin is her personal guard, but he can sometimes be too overprotective, which could end up messing with her plans. However, once he gives in and leaves her alone, she immediately stands up and heads towards the knights' practice session.

She consulted their schedule carefully over the past few days, to make sure everything goes according to plan.

Precisely as she intended, she arrives just in time for the practice to be over, and she sees Victoria's brother – Victor – heading his merry way away from the other knights. She starts walking towards him with resolve, and as he bows in her direction, she trips and falls, wincing in pain and putting on the perfect show in front of this young boy, convincing enough to make him run towards her and help her up.

"Your Highness, are you alright? Can you stand?" He hurries over and aids her in standing up, however, she is quick to lean into him and complain about the pain in her right foot.

"I think I might've sprained my ankle..." She furrows her brows and puts on a pained expression.

"Oh, no! What should we do?" The young boy ponders. "I will go summon a doctor immediately and-"

"No, that's not necessary. I'd rather you carried me back to my room, and I'll ask my maids to summon the doctor instead." She talks him into it, and he doesn't give it any further thought.

He immediately bends down to allow her to jump on his back, and hurries towards her chambers.

"Thank you so much. What is your name?" She asks once they are inside of her room, with Mari examining her foot and Alice frantically running out the door to summon Hyunjin.

"It's Victor Silverstone, Your Highness." He bows politely.

"Your Highness, what happened?!" Changbin runs through the door and kneels down on one knee in front of her bed.

"I happened to trip and fall, but thankfully,  Victor was there to help me." She explains.

"I shouldn't have gone to Prince Felix..." Changbin shakes his head, disappointed in himself. "If I were there, I could've-"

"No, Changbin. Please don't overthink this too much." She cuts him off. "It must be difficult for you to be my only guard, as you always have to be available to me, no matter the time of day, and if I also make you run errands, it becomes almost impossible for you to manage."

"Not at all, Your Highness." He immediately denies, and Aristia smiles softly.

"No, I'm sure it's hard. What if we'd appoint one more guard for me? I think Victor has great potential. He rushed over to help me, kept his calm and obeyed my commands perfectly."

Changbin looks the boy up and down, not entirely convinced.

"I'm not sure, Your Highness... He is still young and inexperienced."

"Still, he's helped me when I needed it, and he deserves a reward for it. What higher honour than to be one of my personal guards? That way, you'd also be able to focus on the upcoming war preparations, and train more, to become even stronger for me." Aristia insists, and with each word leaving her mouth, Changbin begins agreeing with her more and more.

She certainly has a way with words, to make everyone else around her agree with her ideas.

"This could be a good thing, I guess... It would certainly be good to have more people guarding you, and Silverstone is a great individual from a great family..." Changbin ponders.

"What do you think, Victor?" Aristia turns to the boy, who immediately kneels on one knee and takes out his sword, presenting it to her.

"It would be the greatest honour to guard Her Highness the Moon of the Empire. I pledge my sword and my unwavering loyalty and dedicate myself to your service." Victor declares, committing himself entirely to Aristia.

She accepts his sword and grabs it by the handle, turning it around and tapping it on his shoulders.

"It's decided, then." She smiles. "Thank you for your service, and for pledging your loyalty to me."

"I thank you for providing me with the opportunity to serve you."

"Changbin, you can take the rest of the day off, and please go inform my husband about taking Victor Silverstone out of any other obligations." She instructs further. "Victor, you may go wait outside."

"Understood, Your Highness." The boy bows and exits without a word more, and Changbin follows soon after, when Hyunjin walks through the door.

"Your ankle doesn't seem to be sprained." He remarks, examining her foot thoroughly.

"It hurt so bad, though. I must've stepped on my foot wrong in my heels." Aristia explains, to which Hyunjin agrees with a nod of his head.

"You were lucky this time, but please make sure to be more careful from now on."

And now, with everyone gone from her room, she finally relaxes and smiles to herself.

Her end of the deal towards Victoria has been kept; it is unlikely that Victor would have to join any wars at the borders from this point forward.

Now, it's her turn to return the favour.

~

"An information guild?" Victoria eyes the Empress carefully.

"Mhm. I need to send a very important letter in utmost secrecy, and the only way to do so would be through an information guild that can't get tracked back to me." Aristia replies holding the small envelope tightly with her hands.

"If I may...who exactly... is the letter addressed to...?" Victoria asks, her voice quiet.

"My half-sister."

When Aristia responds, it feels like all the air in the room disappears. Victoria looks shocked and doesn't know what to do, or how to reply.

"Your... your half-sister?" She asks in a whisper, her chest tightening.

When Aristia simply nods, handing her the sealed letter, Victoria shuts her eyes and breaths in deeply.

"But, Your Highness... your half-sister is... the enemy..."

"Yes. I am aware of that. That's why it needs to be done this way." Aristia clarifies.

"I know you've taken my brother in your care, and I am deeply grateful that he doesn't have to go on the battlefield anymore, but... this is too much. You're essentially asking me to betray the crown. I could lose my head..." Victoria hesitates, but still, she leans over and grabs the envelope with shaky hands. "You could lose yours."

"Indeed. If my husband were to find out..." She averts her gaze. "This must stay between us, Victoria, and I will continue to uphold my end of the deal."

"May I at least know of the letter's contents?" She asks, holding the envelope tighter.

"It's... a proposal. A way to stop the war from happening. Now, I'm not sure what the outcome of this will be, so it's better to just keep it to ourselves for the time being..."

"Your Majesty, I hope you haven't signed this letter. In case someone discovers before it reaches its destination-"

"Yes, Victoria, don't worry. It doesn't have my signature or my seal. If, by any chance, this letter would be discovered before reaching my sister's hands, we will insist it's been forged."

"Then, how will your sister know it's you who's written it?" Victoria inquires.

"I told you this before, but please leave these details to me. That's for me to worry about."

"Your Highness, this task you've entrusted me with is extremely difficult... However, I will do my best to make sure this letter gets to your sister safely."

"I also need you to deliver this other letter to the information guild you choose, as well as whichever remuneration they're asking for. This is crucial for the future of our Empire, Victoria. I hope you trust me and my intentions. Everything I am doing is for the Empire, even if it seems otherwise." Aristia insists, giving the woman a second letter.

Victoria simply nods and exits the room with haste.

~

(A/N) What's in Aristia's letter?

Love,

Storm